According to a Pew Research study, it has been revealed the total number of gun-related deaths in the U.S. is just around 45,000 — while over 100,000 Americans lost their lives to drugs in the same 12-month period.
The CDC released data detailing drug-related deaths within the U.S., and what they found is that over 100,000 Americans have died from drugs — twice the number of those who have died from firearms.
This number is up 15 percent from the previous year, and increased by around 40,000 since 2019, according to the figures released by the National Center for Health Statistics. The tally reflects challenges exacerbated by the lockdowns imposed by state governments: lost access to treatment, social isolation, and a more potent drug supply.
To dig a bit deeper, we found that the U.S. domestic firearms sales industry is valued at $28B, according to Forbes. Meanwhile, during a 12-month period, the domestic pharmaceutical drug industry in the U.S. is valued at over $348B (billion) — over 12 times that of the firearms industry.
These numbers do not include illegal drug sales, which are estimated to be above $150B (billion) annually, domestically within the U.S.
Furthermore, often when the synthetic opioid known as fentanyl is sold, there are strings of overdoses in close proximity to one another.
For instance, 10 individuals lost their lives in Northeast D.C. from one batch of drugs tainted with fentanyl.
Drug-related deaths happen every day in the U.S. and we do not see the media, politicians, students, and social media companies coalesce around a ‘protest movement’ to defend the lives lost to drugs, or the drug manufacturers who made their deaths possible.
Other data show there has been a steep rise in child suicide and suicidal ideation, cancer deaths, and deaths of despair in general due to…
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